Comments on: Kidney Stone Gate: Baidu Denies Censoring Search Results

By: China’s Richest Man & Gome Founder Arrested | chinaSMACK

China’s Richest Man & Gome Founder Arrested | chinaSMACK — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 07:22:10 +0000

[...] family used to seal the mouth of the media, but they just would not report it! A few days ago, Baidu also censored news like this, even snapshots [cache?] were not [...]

By: Poker Cards For 2008 China & chinaSMACK Coverage | chinaSMACK

Poker Cards For 2008 China & chinaSMACK Coverage | chinaSMACK — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 16:46:31 +0000

[...] Kidney Stone Gate: Baidu Denies Censoring Search Results [...]

By: Kai

Kai — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 03:20:30 +0000

@ Haha:

I do agree with you that Baidu may have less but more relevant search results than Google.cn so personally, I’ll stand by my contention that Baidu isn’t doing too hot of a PR job dealing with their circumstantial guilt. Again, that said, I doubt they’re going to lose their market dominance, especially with the illegal mp3 search being something of a core service they offer that few people are going to give up. Despite seeing Google do things that are at odds with their “don’t be evil” motto, I’ve seen Baidu do far more ethically questionable things that really bother me.

By: Haha

Haha — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:40:20 +0000

@Kai
Sorry, didn’t read your last comment before posting. You put it better than me.

“aim that outrage at the right targets WHILE seeking ‘credible truth’.”

Test out long search terms on Baidu. It will always turn up less results than Google. It’s sort of hypocritical if you support the mob anger against Baidu, but not the mob anger against Carrefour.

By: Haha

Haha — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 19:33:49 +0000

@Kai
“Consider that the Baidu results suddenly started accumulating once the cat was out of the bag”
The increase in results of that long search term which increased from 11 to 54 demonstrates even more that Baidu didn’t censor. Since people posted about that exact term, of course the results are going to shoot up. People need to calm down. Just like the Police Killing incident happening right after Wengan and just like Carrefour boycott after torch protest, people take their anger out on whatever have connection with the thing they are angry about. Once they are angry with a domestic brand, like Sanlu, they start to become angry at all other domestic brands, like Baidu. This suspicion on Baidu is just as irrational and stupid as boycotting Carrefour for French participation on torch protest.

By: Kidney Stone Gate: Latest Updates & Funny Sanlu Photoshops | chinaSMACK

Kidney Stone Gate: Latest Updates & Funny Sanlu Photoshops | chinaSMACK — Sat, 20 Sep 2008 16:55:08 +0000

[...] Kidney Stone Gate: Baidu Denies Censoring Search Results (Part 4) Rate This: Loading … Share This: [...]

By: News Galore! | The China Vortex

News Galore! | The China Vortex — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 12:31:28 +0000

[...] was accused of offering to help cover up the scandal by not showing the scope of the scandal in its search results. I wonder what genius came up with the idea that they could cover up a scandal of such immense [...]

By: 三鹿门事件杂想

三鹿门事件杂想 — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 08:35:18 +0000

[...] 百度在这其中到底扮演了什么角色？消除民愤？还是为三鹿消除负面影响？。ChinaSmack提供了一些我认为十分精彩的文章。上一周，作者Fauna提出了一些骇人听闻的疑点，并且拿出了证据，如果这些证据成立的话，这将会使任何一个与此事有关的人难堪。在那篇文章披露了公关公司向三鹿提出的公关解决方案建议的复印件，其中包括向百度支付3百万人民币以过滤掉负面消息、天涯论坛中有关此次事件的投票结果、以及多篇国外关于此事报道的译文。在周三发布的一篇文章中她指出，不论是百度还是建议破财消灾的公关公司，都拒绝承认与此事有关。但她引用并翻译了来自21世纪经济报道中有关此此事的摘要，所有迹象都表明这对百度是不利的。 [...]

By: Kai

Kai — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 05:30:23 +0000

@ mtm:

Yes, maybe you are more ruthless. If so, then you can appreciate Free Tibeters trying to grab the Olympic torch from a wheel-chair bound woman, right?

If not, then you’re every bit the hypocrite you accuse your enemies of. Plain and simple.

Boycotts have their place. You want dishonest businesses to feel it. The question is whether or not Carrefour was a dishonest business or a victim of simply being associated with France?

The difference between “mob idiocy” and ‘democracy” is that people in a democracy fight for credible information and institutions of recourse. People in a “mob” do not. Democracy is a system that organizes society. Mobs are an emotional outburst of a society. Chinese can certainly feel outrage when it is appropriate, but would do better to aim that outrage at the right targets WHILE seeking “credible truth.”

Are you HONESTLY going to argue that the Carrefour boycott mob represented that?

By: mtm

mtm — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:42:04 +0000

@Kai
Fair point, but maybe I am more ruthless than you are. Carrefour is Sarkozy’s problem.
I supported the boycott simply because it gave us a voice, and face it, how much freedom political do you really have in China? Short of a massive campaign of civil disobedience, the boycott is the best pseudo-political weapon we have, and I would like dishonest businesses to feel it.

Also:
What is the difference between “Mob idiocy” and the “Democracy”? Information. Blame those who control and corrupt information, not the “Mob”. I for one am gladdened that people have awaken from their usual apathy to express outrage at Westerners, Sanlu, Baidu whatever. You want to tame the “Mob”? Then give us the “credible” truth.